Howdy blogaroos. Reporting for blog duty, fresh off of two days of bootcamp. And holy macaroni, I’m learning LOTS.

Now in case you are envisioning that we just walk in circles for 75 minutes, I’m here to tell you we don’t. We do SO much more. You see, here’s a little secret…. There’s lots more to heelwork than just walking. Like attention- which is pretty important before you take your very first pawstep. And heelwork has to be FUN. Because really, who wants to march in attention unless you REALLY are in the Army. Or a marching band.

So the Warden and I are learning LOTS about keeping heelwork FUN.

Now Day 1, I was pretty not bad. I mean my head did have some moments of cranial explosion when I saw new dogs, and we were in a different training place. There are 6 dogs in our class – a Dachshund, a Cavalier, a Buhund, a Papillon, a Bouvier and me. But I still did OK. No temper tantrums – like a small Royal at the Jubilee- and I didn’t bite the Warden – which is my favorite thing to do when I get revved up.

Day 2. I started to get the attention concept. And boy oh boy – I was sure watching the Warden. Even when there were some pretty tough distractions. She was actually kinda surprised at how attentive I was.

So we’ll see how I do today. When bootcamp is over, the Warden is nominating our coach, Jane, for sainthood. Really. Look up the word patience in the dictionary, and her picture is there. I’m not joking. OK. I am about the dictionary part – but she really IS patient. And she has eyes like a hawk on steroids. She doesn’t miss a THING. And she’s clairvoyant. She knows EXACTLY where we might encounter challenges in an exercise. And she’s a conductor. Watching each of us as we do our part. And she gives us all feedback. Saint Jane the Magical Juggler. I’ll just call her SJ from now on.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have a new title. The Toyminator…. I’m waiting for the Certificate to come in….

So before Bootcamp began, the Warden went to the pet store to hunt and gather a variety of tasty treats. New stuff that I’m not used to. Not that it REALLY makes a difference- if it’s edible, I’m trainable.

Anyway, I thought the idea of new treats was good. Plus one never knows what ELSE they might find at the pet store….

As you know, the Boss and I get a frozen Kong EVERY morning while the Warden eats breakfast. Those things are pretty durable- the heavy duty black variety can last for several months in this house, before they actually DO wear out. Then they get replaced. So while the Warden was treat hunting, she noticed that these tough rubber Kong wannabes were on sale – 50% off. She examined them, read that they were designed for dogs way bigger than us PONs, and so she decided to buy two. She figured they would be a nice Kong alternative- which could also be stuffed and frozen.

She came home with my stash of bootcamp treats and the new “things”. She took off their packaging and proceeded to do her tri-nightly Kong stuffing. While she was busy washing and stuffing, a friend called – so they were chatting while The Warden was working.

All of a sudden, she stopped, and heard some unusual chewing. Funny how humans can detect certain sounds SO quickly. She asked her friend to wait a minute while she went to investigate.

Well. It seems SOMEONE stole one of the new rubber thingies off the counter – and gave it to me to test chew. OK – maybe that’s not EXACTLY how I got it, but bottom line, I was very busy testing its durability. Good thing I did – because it failed. Yup – in what the Warden estimated was 10 minutes, I was successful in removing much of the top of the thing. She shouted “no”, took the thing and quickly picked up bits of shredded rubber. Thank goodness I was so helpful.

The good news? The Warden took the thingies back to the store. She was hoping she could at least get a refund for the one that had not undergone the durability test. It just needed a new zip tie to reattach it to its cardboard packaging. She didn’t really expect a refund for the “used” model, but the people were very nice and refunded her for both! Score. More money for treats! Plus they can now warn people that the Chimpanzee Chews (not their REAL name) aren’t QUITE as durable for ALL dogs. Just call me the Toyminator.

OK. Gotta soon warm up before we head to bootcamp. I wonder if we get medals at the end? Or maybe just wine for the humans…

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos! It’s Monday! Again! AND it’s also National Eyewear Day. But I’m sure you knew that.

But did you know we canines can wear eyewear? Now I don’t personally know anyone who does – but it IS a possibility :

https://wagwalking.com/wellness/can-dogs-get-glasses

And if you want options about types of glasses, here are some reviews:

https://www.caninejournal.com/dog-goggles/

I’m thinking all of us canines in this house see pretty well. I mean we can spot somebody walking on our road from a kilometer away. And we PONs let them know that we see them.

Onto other news- I have a very busy week ahead! I’m going to Bootcamp. Yup. I’m joining the army. Just joking. My obedience teacher/coach is running a “heeling bootcamp” Monday through Thursday this week. And the Warden signed us up. It’s 75 minutes each day. I can’t IMAGINE how far we’ll be walking in 75 minutes! We’re supposed to come with yummy treats and a fun toy. Our teacher is pretty inventive- so I think this is going to be fun.

Well – time for my morning constitutional and breakfast before I head to bootcamp. I’ll keep you posted as to how we do. I just hope the Warden can keep up with me!

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Howdy blogaroos! Squirmy here on a super Saturday. And it’s already June 4 – where did the first three days of the month go?! That’s the kind of stuff that humans say. Where did the time go? It just disappeared. Where did it go? Just like I say after I eat and look in my food bowl…where did it go?

Well do you know what June 4 is? Of course you do – it’s National Black Bear Day!!!

It seems that lately there are more and more stories in the news about encounters with wildlife, like bears. Ya can’t really blame the animals- humans keep taking over their homes. Heck, when somebody even steps on my property, I go crazy! And the Boss goes crazy if someone is even walking on our road! We OWN this area. Or we like to think we do!

Here’s a link to info about what you should do if you encounter a bear while with your dog…

https://www.orvis.com/what-to-do-in-a-bear-encounter-with-your-dog.html

We have bears in our hood – but they seem to be most active in early Spring. Here’s two photos of a big guy in our yard a few years ago. In this one, he’s running down the luge run…

And in this one, he’s listening to the sound of crazy barking dogs…

That was a few years ago. Before I arrived. The bears around here have heard that there’s a crazy ricocheting mop that lives in our house, so they’ve stayed clear. Mind you, our neighbor took this one in their yard last Spring…

I’m not sure what I would do if I saw a bear – but the Warden doesn’t want to find out. She thinks the bear would be the one in trouble. Probably.

School was good yesterday. I was my average self. The Warden didn’t take any cheese treats – we ran out and she forgot to buy more. I had to settle for hotdogs. Listen – if she wants me to perform above average – she needs to branch out with some new treats. Not that I’ll EVER refuse a treat- but variety is a good thing. Training her is SUCH a challenge at times. But overall, I guess she’s doing well. I’ll keep working with her because I do think she has potential.

OK – GBH time. Gotta go suit up.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.

Greetings blog aficionados. Frodo here for your reading pleasure today. And I must confess, it IS a pleasure.

As most of you know, I celebrated a dozen birthdays this past January. Twelve is a fairly “popular” number – there are 12 months in a year, 12 hours on the face of a clock, 12 signs of the Zodiac and apparently, 12 jurors in a trial. Not that I have thankfully ever been to court. There are also numerous biblical references to the number 12. So suffice to say, 12 is a good number.

As many of you readers will also recall, several years ago, while undergoing surgery for removal of a cyst, my veterinarian noted for the first time, that I had a heart murmur. The cyst turned out fine, but this incidental cardiac finding sent me to a cardiologist. I won’t bore you with the technicalities of that appointment, but at that time (and this was several years ago now), the cardiologist and Her Highness decided that the best course of treatment for yours truly was pharmaceutical. There WAS an option for cardiac surgery, BUT while it could have potentially solved one cardiac issue that I have, it would not have solved a second issue I have. And the risks of surgery were iffy. At the time, the cardiologist asked Her Highness what the average lifespan for a PON would be. She said there is a range from probably 12-14 years IF one is lucky. Sadly, some PONs, like Viktor are taken too early, and some live long, happy lives to 15. And some even longer! The cardiologist asked Her Highness if she would be “happy” with 12. Given that it was several years off, and the fact that of the 6 dogs she had previously been owned by, only one had lived past 12, she thought that number was OK. I mean let’s face it – no time is EVER enough- but 12 seemed like a gift.

So when I celebrated my silk anniversary in January, Her Highness was thrilled. BUT, like anyone owned by a canine knows, the older a canine gets, the more the human worries. And honestly, she now felt 12 wasn’t enough. No wonder she is on blood pressure medication.

Frankly, I feel fine. I have as much energy as I have ever had. I don’t tire on walks, my appetite is extraordinary (as always), I “eliminate” in regular fashion, and IF Her Highness didn’t know I had a heart condition, she wouldn’t think about my health at all. I DO have some rather large fatty cysts, often found in seasoned dogs(I like that term better than senior)- but they don’t bother me. I went in to the Vet in the fall for a heart check and all was as it was several years ago. No worse. However, a few weeks ago, Her Highness discovered a rather odd dark lump on my back. It almost appeared to be like a blood blister – which would not be unlikely given that the Imp is still rather mouthy when we wrestle. In addition, I was still clearly battling a goopy ear – so she made an appointment to see our Vet.

Now PONs don’t forget much, so my recollection of the orb incident and subsequent problems after that fiasco, make me a tad nervous when I walk in the Vet Clinic. Her Highness kept me in the car as long as possible and then dragged me in. She did that because once I’m in, she must ply me with a continual supply of treats to keep me from either squeaking or barking. I have her well trained.

Our Vet is lovely and she is very patient with Her Highness who asks about 500 questions- while simultaneously feeding me treats. The Vet looked at my lump – and another one she found (which surprisingly Her Highness didn’t notice while grooming me the day before). Could possibly be because our grooming sessions still resemble a WWF match. Our Vet suggested she aspirate the lumps and she suggested routine bloodwork- which I had not had in several years. She took me to “ the back room” away from the pestering eyes of Her Highness.

So now – after all this dramatic build up – the results…… The rather ominous looking lumps were cysts. Goopy cysts. And my blood work came back yesterday, with absolutely nothing to report. Well – one MINOR thing – my cholesterol was a bit elevated. Just as it was in my last blood work several years ago. She suggested I lay off the doughnuts. A comedian she is not.

So. I am apparently doing as well as a 12.4 year old dog can be doing. Actually, perhaps a bit above the norm. Especially given the fact that I DO have a heart condition. Remember, I even got two legs toward my Rally Masters title in January- which included jumping. I think I’m doing splendid.

To say Her Highness was thrilled with my check up is an understatement. Not to say she won’t continue to watch me like some research experiment- and she’ll check me each time I so much as sneeze, but her blood pressure DID go down a bit yesterday.

No one knows how much time they have on this “vacation” called life. One can sit and worry about all sorts of things – including when the vacation will end. Instead – we need to enjoy each and every moment – and not take that for granted. Fetch the ball. Learn a new trick. Have fun with family and friends. Go on an adventure (even around the block). Eat the carbs – but watch your cholesterol. Explore the world around you. Smell the air. Pee on the neighbors’ garbage can. OK – maybe not that one. But Carpe diem my friends. Carpe diem.

Have a good one. Peace and paws up. Stay safe.